Long hair to pixie cut? Advice wanted.

[GliderPoss]

Hello all,

I've had long hair most of my life and although its very pretty I have a deep desire to get a pixie cut!

My hair is kinda like Zoe D's in pic below with perhaps a more blunt fringe but I love the short do of the other photo. I'm brunette.

I am quite short 5'3" and petite (size AU4-6), with non-sticking out ears and wear a lot of 60's style clothes. My husband loves my long hair but maintains its my head, my choice etc.

Has anyone else done this transition before? I've had various bobs etc before and want it to be a dramatic change and bonus would be to be able to donate my hair to charity (if they wanted it?).

I am sooooooo torn (actually mostly just scared sh*tless). Any advice or stories about your own experiences & maintainence would be terrific. Thank you.

 

[sonnyjane]

It's all in the bone structure. Few can pull off the pixie-cut, and the ones that do aren't chubby-cheeked, round-faced girls like me lol. If you have sharp angles, you'd be a good candidate.

 

[TC1987]

There are hairstyle simulators online and some salons used to have better ones. You load a picture of yourself (maybe with your hair pulled up or back and then "try on" hairstyles and colors somehow, using the software.

 

[VRBeauty]

I can't advise you on what might look best on you. However, I can tell you that a pixie cut will greatly simplify your life. I went "pixie" ~9 months ago, and I love having wash and go hair! I can take time to style it or not, as I wish, and the styling can be as simple as rubbing in a product or two, a minute or two (max, truly) with the blow dryer, and a "finger fluff."

 

[movie zombie]

I've done it twice......and regretted it each time.
won't happen a third time.
but then I don't have a pixie/petite bone structure!

 

[Dee*Jay]

The first time I got my hair cut really short I went from having it past my waist to Mia Farrow in one fell swoop. Over the years I let it go back to about my shoulders, but I keep coming back to short again. One funny thing that happened to me when I went from super long to super short was that my hair kind of stood out from my head for a few days--like it was used to being pulled down from being really heavy to suddenly springing up free (if that makes any sense at all), but it calmed down in a little while. Just a word of warning in case yours does the same thing, LOL.

Here's my current cut, although my face is a lot thinner now than it was in this pic.

 

[amc80]

I chopped my hair off years ago. Not quite pixie, but short - think meg ryan in You've Got Mail. I loved it for a while and then didn't. And growing it out was awful. I decided I'd never cut it off again. Now my hair is really long and I'd like to chop it a bit, perhaps below my shoulders. But DH loves my long hair.

 

[woofmama]

Baby Steps!!!
I'm dating myself here but some may remember the Dorothy Hamill haircut. I always had long hair, like your first pic and everyone was getting the famous DH when I was in 8th grade so I went for it. Didn't suite me at all.

I have done long to short bob styles, even did the Posh spice cut a couple of years ago but never will make such a drastic change again. I know you would like to donate your hair, maybe write a donation check instead.

My husband actually prefers shoulder length or shorter hair, btw. Most men don't but he thinks it looks classy and sexy
If I could get away the cut you are considering I would try it. However, I know it wouldn't work for me.

 

[sonnyjane]

I've done it twice......and regretted it each time.
won't happen a third time!

This is my story with bangs lol.

 

[kenny]

Some women look fantastic with a pixie cut.

Others .... uhm ....

 

[Demelza]

I cut my hair into a pixie last September and have been really happy with it. I had long hair for my entire childhood and a good part of my 20's, but I have always absolutely loved pixie cuts on women. When done right, I think they are chic, stylish, and adorable. It helps that my husband loves short hair on me and has wanted me to go really short for years. As important as hair is to most women, remember that it is just hair and it will grow back. Yeah, growing it out is a pain, but it's also kind of fun to try out all the different hairstyles on its way to getting long again. I say go for it if you really have a "deep desire" to give it a try.

 

[woofmama]

The first time I got my hair cut really short I went from having it past my waist to Mia Farrow in one fell swoop. Over the years I let it go back to about my shoulders, but I keep coming back to short again. One funny thing that happened to me when I went from super long to super short was that my hair kind of stood out from my head for a few days--like it was used to being pulled down from being really heavy to suddenly springing up free (if that makes any sense at all), but it calmed down in a little while. Just a word of warning in case yours does the same thing, LOL.

Here's my current cut, although my face is a lot thinner now than it was in this pic.

Your haircut suites you perfectly and is adorable! Lucky you to have the bone structure for it I get what you're saying about the freeing thing, when I went from middle of the back length to my current bob I loved the feel of less weight. Definitely gives your hair more body.

 

[marymm]

There are hairstyle simulators online and some salons used to have better ones. You load a picture of yourself (maybe with your hair pulled up or back and then "try on" hairstyles and colors somehow, using the software.

This is an excellent idea! And if you aren't able to virtually try the pixie on via computer for some reason, maybe do the haircut in stages? Cut it to a shoulder-length shaggy do or a chin-length angle cut, and then go for the pixie a couple of weeks later?

My hair was down past the middle of my back - I chopped it about 5-6 inches about 6 weeks ago - and only one person noticed (besides my DH) - even I barely could tell a difference - it was the exact same style, just a couple inches shorter. So I chopped it to a bob over the weekend, and *now* I look like I have a different hairstyle, and it feels quite different on my head (more lively, more swing). And everybody I know noticed the hair cut, and had good things to say. Sometimes a transforming haircut is exactly what we need!

eta: growing up I had a pixie cut for years, until junior high school - as a kid I never liked having such short hair - and as an adult I know a pixie cut would not suit my face or my idea of myself. But my best friend has a super short pixie cut and I love it on her - sometimes it is smooth, sometimes she spikes it - her face is more round than angular but she has those cat eyes and a tiny nose and the pixie cut totally works for her.

 

[iheartscience]

Do you like how you look with your hair in a ponytail and your bangs pulled back? If so, I'd go for it. I think it's all about bone structure, like everyone else said!

I had super short hair for years and loved it. (I even buzzed it once.) I grew it out for my wedding and it was long for the first time in 15+ years, and I ended up liking the length, so I kept growing it out and now it's fairly long. I cut bangs maybe 6 months ago and I'm a fan of those too. In the end, it's just hair-it'll grow back!

 

[GliderPoss]

Thanks for all your advice! I didnt know about the hair simulators - will try that first.

I agree on the bone structure thing, I'm not chubby but cheek bones aren't razor sharp either. I actually look very similar in the face to Kirsten Stewart (chick from Twilight) or actress Claire Foy (see pic attached). Similar colouring too - pale with blue eyes and brown hair. Other bonus is wearing my hair up all the time gives me headaches if its too tight so I'm always looking for ways to have it loose but tidy as I work in corporate environment.

Think the biggest hurdle will be hubby although I'm guessing he'll love it once its actually done. (Fingers crossed... )

 

[VRBeauty]

I should add that the downside of having a pixie cut is that you MUST get your hair cut regularly. For me it's once every five weeks. It's also a two hour commitment for me, since I drive a half hour each way to my hairdresser... but well worth it to me for the ease of care in between those cuts.!

 

[missy]

If you have the bone structure and facial features for a pixie cut I say go for it! I think it is one of the coolest and sophisticated hairstyles a woman can have. Dee*Jay- you look gorgeous with your short do! Love it! And I'm with Thing and the others who said it's just hair and it will grow back.

I would love to go short but I don't think I have the right features for it but one day I just might go for it anyway because the ease of care is very appealing. Sure you might need more cuts but day to day care is easier to manage. I did cut off my bangs a while back and I still am not sure what I think LOL but it is so much easier to not have bangs that I am not rushing back to them though I think bangs are more flattering for my face.

Good luck with your decision and it would be great if you would come back and post pics of your new haircut if you decide to go that route!

 

[lknvrb4]

I cut off mine to get that kind of cut and really hated it. I can wear short hair or long hair so that was not the issue. I have really thick hair and well the cut just looked too poofy on my head.

 

[momhappy]

No offense to anyone here with short hair, but I am not a fan of the pixie cut (it's just not feminine enough for me). I'm in my 40's and have had long hair pretty much all my life. Many women my age have gone short out of convenience and I refuse to do it. Personally, I just don't see myself getting to a place where I want to cut off all of my hair (and if I do, I think that it would mean that I've sort of given up on my looks).
I think if you feel strongly about a pixie cut, then you should explore it a bit more. As someone else mentioned, you can use one of those simulators where you can upload a picture of yourself and try on different hairstyles. It's nice that you care about what your husband thinks too - it sounds like he's trying to be supportive, but maybe apprehensive about such a drastic change (which is normal). Go with your gut. That's what I try to do and it usually seems to work out for me that way. Best of luck on your choice - based on your description, I'm sure that you'll be gorgeous either way

 

[Niel]

If your going to do it do it all at once. Don't go in baby steps because you won't do it.

II was just talking about this with my hairdresser. No one who ever goes in to her and says cut it off in steps ever goes through with it. Frankly I think a pixy cut is amazing and I'd like one myself. I recently just cut 7 inches off to go from long to collar bone length(I need some for the wedding)


I fully support it.

 

[Niel]

On a side note, I had a friend that recently shaved her head. She was BY FAR the most attractive person I had ever seen. She looked so cool and effortlessly and amazing.

 

[ericad]

When I was 16, I had hair to my waist and cut it off into a pixie cut in one fell swoop. The day I cut it I cried because it was such a shock (it was the '90s, think Chynna Phillips), but then I wore it short for almost 20 years! Only just this past year have I felt like I wanted to grow it out. It's to my shoulders now (barely) and is more flattering on me because I've gained weight over the years. I'm no longer a size 4, but rather a multiple of 4, lol.

I've always been told (by hairdressers, friends, everyone except my mother, who spent 20 years asking me why I wanted to look like a lesbian, lol) that short hair suits me, and it does. You have to have the bone structure and personality to pull it off. You also have to have a thick skin about it and be prepared for criticism - though we see women with short hair all the time, there's this stigma that goes with it and people will probably say rude and inappropriate things - so you really have to own the decision in order to keep your self esteem intact. Though I always received more compliments than insults.

My favorite thing about having super short hair was that I could do all kinds of fun and crazy things with the color, which kept it interesting and any damage was being cut off every 6 weeks. And I could toggle between messy, spiky, faux-hawk, smooth, etc. depending on my mood.

My least favorite thing about having super short hair is that it's fairly high maintenance, and also that it's a b*tch to grow out if you decide to go long again. I mean really painful. It's taken me a full year to get to where my hair is touching my shoulders, but it's still very layered with some pieces only as long as the tops of my ears. And it passed through a really hideous phase about 6 months ago. Just awful, but I powered through it.

Anyway, good luck with your decision! I personally am a huge fan of short hair on women - I'm not one for doing anything the traditional way and just love the look, but it takes guts.

 

[AprilBaby]

I love my pixie. Downside: frequent cuts/highlights, daughter thinks it looks butch. Upside: wash and wear! No comb needed, just run fingers thru it and go! I do have the bone structure for it. My long hair was aging me and I hated having hair all over my clothes. Also very cool in the summer, no hair hanging down the neck.

 

[LibbyLA]

The downside to short hair when you are a large woman (5'11" and larger than many men) is that you get called, "Sir," a lot when people glance at you from the back, even when you don't have masculine features.

That said, short is the only way to go for me. I have very fine, slightly wavy hair. It won't hold curl, it won't stay straight, and it has to be washed every day.

liz

 

[missy]

When I was 16, I had hair to my waist and cut it off into a pixie cut in one fell swoop. The day I cut it I cried because it was such a shock (it was the '90s, think Chynna Phillips), but then I wore it short for almost 20 years! Only just this past year have I felt like I wanted to grow it out. It's to my shoulders now (barely) and is more flattering on me because I've gained weight over the years. I'm no longer a size 4, but rather a multiple of 4, lol.

I've always been told (by hairdressers, friends, everyone except my mother, who spent 20 years asking me why I wanted to look like a lesbian, lol) that short hair suits me, and it does. You have to have the bone structure and personality to pull it off. You also have to have a thick skin about it and be prepared for criticism - though we see women with short hair all the time, there's this stigma that goes with it and people will probably say rude and inappropriate things - so you really have to own the decision in order to keep your self esteem intact. Though I always received more compliments than insults.

My favorite thing about having super short hair was that I could do all kinds of fun and crazy things with the color, which kept it interesting and any damage was being cut off every 6 weeks. And I could toggle between messy, spiky, faux-hawk, smooth, etc. depending on my mood.

My least favorite thing about having super short hair is that it's fairly high maintenance, and also that it's a b*tch to grow out if you decide to go long again. I mean really painful. It's taken me a full year to get to where my hair is touching my shoulders, but it's still very layered with some pieces only as long as the tops of my ears. And it passed through a really hideous phase about 6 months ago. Just awful, but I powered through it.

Anyway, good luck with your decision! I personally am a huge fan of short hair on women - I'm not one for doing anything the traditional way and just love the look, but it takes guts.

Erica, I saw a picture of you posted on PS with your short do and I have to comment how gorgeous you look with short hair!!!

 

[packrat]

I would say go for it, personally. If you have a stylist you trust, talk to her/him. The stylist should have the knowledge as to how short your hair can ultimately be, and doing it in stages may help you get used to the idea so it's not such a huge shock all at once?

I just took the plunge Tuesday and got mine whomped off. (ticked off the husband in the process but whatever) My hands were shaking when I was playing w/it in the mirror when she turned me around. I've been going to her for a year and a half-normally I just get my hair cut maaaaybe every 6 months b/c I'm cheap, but I love her and trust her completely, so I've been in every 2 months or so. My first visit I told her my ultimate goal was shooooort. Not the pixie I used to have when I was 4, but close. Finally made it there and I'm really enjoying it! Never thought I had the face for short hair b/c I'm heavier than I used to be, but it does work.

 

[distracts]

I would caution you against cutting it off all at once. I did that once, thinking it would be fine since I'd had hair that short before. It took TWO MONTHS before I stopped getting a little shock every time I passed myself in the mirror. It was a really rough adjustment. Step it up slowly.

 

[Kismet]

I just got mine all cut off a few weeks ago. It was down to about my bra strap and now it's a short bob (back of the neck is bare and a bit longer in front w/ side swept bangs.) I had to do it all at once because I'm so lazy about getting my hair cut (it was over a year since my last hair cut). If I had got some sort of medium length cut with plans to get it cut shorter later, I probably would not have gone back for the next step and just would have grown it all back out again.

 

[GliderPoss]

Mmmm some great replies and advice. So sounds like 1. I need a great trusted stylist which I DONT have and 2. It will need frequent trims to maintain (although my hair does grow rather slowly).

I have quite thin, fine very straight hair but quite a lot of it so Im not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing!?

Yes I do care what my husband thinks, obviously i want him to still be attracted to me! I'm only young <30 and slim so again hoping thats in my favour.

What I dont want to look like is a boy or (forgive the expression) "butch".

Looking at lots of photos online - what do you think of this one? (Obviously brunette though)

 

[GliderPoss]

....oh and I hate my forehead, its big AND has a scar from when I was a toddler (tripped over an electrical cord and fell onto a concrete step ) so I like to cover it (and my wrinkles LOL) with a fringe or whispy bits etc.